Assessment of industrial machines

ABSTRACT

The systems and methods disclosed herein include an assessment system and process for assessing an industrial machine and its various sections, sub-sections, and parts. In embodiments, the assessment system includes an assessment device that includes an assessment overviewer and a part assessor. The assessment overviewer provides an assessor with a selectable industrial machine schematic that illustrates the assessment status of each section of the industrial machine, such as by changing the appearance of each section based its assessment status. The part assessor provides a part assessment interface with engineering instructions and a part grading user interface that provides for a comparison of digital images to complete the part grading.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure generally pertains to industrial machines, and isdirected toward an assessment process and system for assessing thecondition of the industrial machine and its components.

BACKGROUND

The operating conditions of industrial machines, such as gas turbineengines and gas compressors, may result in, inter alia, wear, corrosionand fatigue damage. The components of the industrial machines are oftenassessed to determine the condition of each component of the industrialmachine.

The present disclosure is directed toward overcoming one or more of theproblems discovered by the inventors or that is known in the art.

SUMMARY OF THE DISCLOSURE

A system and process for assessing an industrial machine is disclosed.In one aspect of the invention, the process includes a part assessor ofthe assessment device displaying a part assessment interface for aselected part to the assessor in a user interface of the assessmentdevice. The part assessment interface includes engineering instructionsand a part grading user interface. The part grading user interfaceincludes a part image window that displays an image if the selected partobtained by the part assessor from an image collector of the assessmentdevice, grading comparison images that illustrate grading levels for theselected part, and grading level identifiers that identify the gradinglevel of each of the grading comparison images. The part assessorreceives inputs from the assessor including measurements of the selectedpart requested by the engineering instructions and a part gradeselection determined by comparing the image of the selected part withthe grading comparison images. The process also includes an assessmentreport generator of the assessment system generating an assessmentreport after the assessment of the industrial machine is completed. Theassessment report generator uses the measurements and grading selectionsreceived from the assessor, and the images obtained from the imagecollector to generate the assessment report. The assessment reportgenerator provides recommendations on whether to replace the partsassessed in the assessment report.

In another aspect of the invention, the assessment system includes anassessment device and an assessment report generator. The assessmentdevice includes a user interface, a part assessor, and an imagecollector. The part assessor displays a part assessment interface for aselected part to the assessor in the user interface. The part assessmentinterface includes engineering instructions and a part grading userinterface. The part grading user interface includes a part image windowthat displays an image of the selected part, grading comparison imagesthat illustrate grading levels for the selected part, and grading levelidentifiers that identify the grading level of each of the gradingcomparison images. The part assessor receives inputs from the assessorincluding measurements of the selected part requested by the engineeringinstructions and a part grade selection determined by comparing theimage of the selected part with the grading comparison images. The imagecollector obtains the image of the selected part and provides the imageto the part assessor. The assessment report generator generates anassessment report after the assessment of each section of the industrialmachine is completed. The assessment report generator uses themeasurements and grading selections received from the assessor, and theimages obtained from the image collector to generate the assessmentreport. The assessment report generator provides recommendations onwhether to replace the parts assessed in the assessment report.

In another aspect of the invention, the process includes an assessmentoverviewer of the assessment device displaying an assessment overviewdashboard in a user interface of the assessment device. The assessmentoverview dashboard includes a selectable industrial machine schematicthat includes sections that are selectable by an assessor. The processalso includes the assessment overviewer receiving a selection of asection of the selectable industrial machine schematic that correspondsto an industrial machine section from the assessor. The process furtherincludes a section assessor displaying a parts list in the userinterface including a plurality of parts of the selected section andreceiving a selection of a part of the plurality of parts from theassessor. The process yet further includes a part assessor of theassessment device displaying a part assessment interface for theselected part to the assessor in the user interface. The part assessorreceives inputs from the assessor including measurements of the selectedpart requested by engineering instructions for the part and a part gradeselection of the part. The process still further includes the assessmentoverviewer displaying the assessment overview dashboard including theselectable industrial machine schematic and indicating the state ofcompletion of each section of the industrial machine using theappearance of each of the sections of the selectable industrial machineschematic. The process also includes an assessment report generator ofthe assessment system generating an assessment report after theassessment of each section of the industrial machine is completed. Theassessment report generator uses the measurements and grading selectionsreceived from the assessor, and the images obtained from the imagecollector to generate the assessment report. The assessment reportgenerator providing recommendations on whether to replace the partsassessed in the assessment report.

In yet another aspect of the invention, the assessment system includesan assessment device and an assessment report generator. The assessmentdevice includes a user interface, an assessment overviewer, a sectionassessor, and a part assessor. The assessment overviewer displays anassessment overview dashboard in the user interface. The assessmentoverview dashboard includes a selectable industrial machine schematicthat includes sections that are selectable by an assessor where eachsection corresponding to an industrial machine section, receives aselection of a section of the selectable industrial machine schematic,and indicates the state of completion of each section of the industrialmachine using the appearance of each of the sections of the selectableindustrial machine schematic. The section assessor displays a parts listin the user interface including a plurality of parts of the selectedsection and that receives a selection of a part of the plurality ofparts from the assessor. The part assessor displays a part assessmentinterface for a selected part to the assessor in the user interface. Thepart assessor receives inputs from the assessor including measurementsof the selected part and a part grade selection of the selected part.The assessment report generator that generates an assessment reportafter the assessment of each section of the industrial machine iscompleted. The assessment report generator using the measurements andgrading selections received from the assessor, and the images obtainedfrom the image collector to generate the assessment report. Theassessment report generator providing recommendations on whether toreplace the parts assessed in the assessment report.

In a further aspect of the invention, the process includes a protocolgenerator of the backend server obtaining a selectable industrialmachine schematic that includes selectable sections. The process alsoincludes the protocol generator generating a protocol structure for theassessment process. The protocol structure includes a hierarchicalstructure of the sections and the parts of the industrial machine andcorrelating each of the selectable sections with the sections of thehierarchical structure. The process further includes the protocolgenerator creating engineering instructions for each of the partsincluding identifying measurements of the parts to be taken by anassessor. The process yet further includes the protocol generatorcreating part grading instructions for each of the parts includingestablishing part grading parameters, which grading characterizationsare needed for each part and which grading levels should be used foreach part. The process still further includes the protocol generatorassigning each engineering instruction and part grading instruction toone of the parts within the hierarchical structure. The process alsoincludes an assessment overviewer of the assessment device displaying anassessment overview dashboard in a user interface of the assessmentdevice. The assessment overview dashboard includes the selectableindustrial machine schematic. The state of completion of each selectablesection is indicated by the appearance of each of the selectablesections. The process also includes a part assessor of the assessmentdevice displaying a part assessment interface for the selected part tothe assessor in the user interface. The part assessment interfaceincludes the engineering instructions and a part grading user interface.The part grading user interface provides the part grading parameters,the grading characterizations and the grading levels for a selectedpart. The part assessor receives inputs from the assessor includingmeasurements of the selected part requested by the engineeringinstructions and a part grade selection. The process further includes anassessment report generator of the assessment system generating anassessment report after the assessment of each section of the industrialmachine is completed. The assessment report generator uses themeasurements and grading selections received from the assessor. Theassessment report generator provides recommendations on whether toreplace the parts assessed in the assessment report.

In still a further aspect of the invention, the assessment systemincludes a backend server, an assessment device, and an assessmentreport generator. The backend server includes a protocol generator thatobtains a selectable industrial machine schematic that includesselectable sections, that generates a protocol structure for theassessment process, the protocol structure including a hierarchicalstructure of the sections and the parts of the industrial machine andcorrelating each of the selectable sections with the sections of thehierarchical structure, that creates engineering instructions for eachof the parts including identifying measurements of the parts to be takenby an assessor, that creates part grading instructions for each of theparts including establishing part grading parameters, which gradingcharacterizations are needed for each part and which grading levelsshould be used for each part, and that assigns each engineeringinstruction and part grading instruction to one of the parts within thehierarchical structure. The assessment device includes a user interface,an assessment overviewer, and a part assessor. The assessment overviewerdisplays an assessment overview dashboard in a user interface of theassessment device. The assessment overview dashboard includes theselectable industrial machine schematic. The state of completion of eachselectable section is indicated by the appearance of each of theselectable sections. The part assessor displays a part assessmentinterface for the selected part to the assessor in the user interface.The part assessment interface includes the engineering instructions anda part grading user interface. The part grading user interface providesthe part grading parameters, the grading characterizations and thegrading levels for a selected part. The part assessor receives inputsfrom the assessor including measurements of the selected part requestedby the engineering instructions and a part grade selection. Theassessment report generator generates an assessment report after theassessment of each section of the industrial machine is completed. Theassessment report generator uses the measurements and grading selectionsreceived from the assessor to generate the assessment report. Theassessment report generator provides recommendations on whether toreplace the parts assessed in the assessment report.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of an exemplary industrial machine100.

FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of an assessment system forindustrial machines, such as the industrial machine 100 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of the assessment device of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a schematic illustration of the user interface of FIG. 3 witha selectable gas turbine engine schematic.

FIG. 5 is a schematic illustration of the user interface of FIG. 3 witha parts list.

FIG. 6 is a schematic illustration of the user interface of FIG. 3 witha part grading interface.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of an assessment process for assessing anindustrial machine using the assessment device of FIG. 3.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of a method for generating an assessment protocol.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The systems and methods disclosed herein include an assessment systemand process for assessing an industrial machine and its varioussections, sub-sections, and parts. In embodiments, the assessment systemincludes an assessment device that includes an assessment overviewer anda part assessor. The assessment overviewer may provide an assessor witha selectable industrial machine schematic that illustrates theassessment status of each section of the industrial machine, such as bychanging the appearance of each section based its assessment status,which may allow the assessor to determine the status of the assessmentprocess quickly and efficiently. The part assessor may provide a partassessment interface with engineering instructions and a part gradinguser interface that may standardize the assessment of each part.Further, the part grading user interface may provide digital gradingcomparison images that can be compared to a digital image taken of thepart, which may improve the accuracy and consistency of an assessor'spart grading.

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration of an exemplary industrial machine100. The industrial machine 100 may be, inter alia, a gas turbineengine, a gas compressor, and the like. In the embodiment illustrated,the industrial machine 100 is a gas turbine engine and includes an inlet110, a shaft 120, a compressor 200, a combustor 300, a turbine 400, anexhaust 500, and a power output coupling 50.

The compressor 200 includes a compressor rotor assembly 210, compressorstationary vanes (stators) 250, and inlet guide vanes 255. Thecompressor rotor assembly 210 mechanically couples to shaft 120. Asillustrated, the compressor rotor assembly 210 is an axial flow rotorassembly. The compressor rotor assembly 210 includes one or morecompressor disk assemblies 220. Each compressor disk assembly 220includes a compressor rotor disk that is circumferentially populatedwith compressor rotor blades 222. Stators 250 axially follow each of thecompressor disk assemblies 220. Each compressor disk assembly 220 pairedwith the adjacent stators 250 that follow the compressor disk assembly220 is considered a compressor stage. Some of the stators 250 may bevariable guide vanes 253. Compressor 200 includes multiple compressorstages. Inlet guide vanes 255 axially precede the compressor stages. Thevariable guide vanes 253 and the inlet guide vanes 255 may rotate abouta shaft so that the position of their airfoils may be changed dependingon the operating conditions of the gas turbine engine.

The combustor 300 includes a combustion chamber 320 and one or more fuelinjectors 310. The fuel injectors 310 may be upstream of the combustionchamber 320 and may be annularly arranged about the axis of the gasturbine engine.

The turbine 400 includes a turbine rotor assembly 410 and turbinenozzles 450. The turbine rotor assembly 410 mechanically couples to theshaft 120. In the embodiment illustrated, the turbine rotor assembly 410is an axial flow rotor assembly. The turbine rotor assembly 410 includesone or more turbine disk assemblies 420. Each turbine disk assembly 420includes a turbine disk that is circumferentially populated with turbineblades. Turbine nozzles 450 axially precede each of the turbine diskassemblies 420. Each turbine disk assembly 420 paired with the adjacentturbine nozzles 450 that precede the turbine disk assembly 420 isconsidered a turbine stage. Turbine 400 includes multiple turbinestages.

The exhaust 500 includes an exhaust diffuser 510 and an exhaustcollector 520. The power output coupling 50 may be located at an end ofshaft 120.

FIG. 2 is a schematic illustration of an assessment system 600 forindustrial machines, such as the industrial machine 100 of FIG. 1. Theassessment system 600 may include assessment devices 650, a device datastore 690, an backend server 750, a server data store 790, backendinputs 602, and an administration device 850.

FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of the assessment device 650 ofFIG. 2. The assessment device 650 illustrated in FIG. 3 is an embodimentof a device that can be configured and can be operable to implement allor portions of the various methods described herein. The assessmentdevice 650 can include one or more processors or processor units 652.The processor 652 can controls operation of the assessment device 650.The processor 652 can also be referred to as a central processing unit(CPU). The assessment device 650 can also have a memory 654 coupled tothe processor 652. The memory 654 can include both read-only memory(ROM) and random access memory (RAM). The memory 654 can provideinstructions and data to the processor 652. At least a portion of thememory 654 can also include non-volatile random access memory (NVRAM).The processor 652 can performs logical and arithmetic operations basedon program instructions stored within the memory 654. The instructionsin the memory 654 can be executable to implement the methods describedherein. In some embodiments, the memory 654 can be implemented to store,for example, an assessment protocol for the assessment process and theassessment data obtained during the assessment process.

The processor 652 can include or be a component of a processing systemimplemented with one or more processors 652. The one or more processorscan be implemented with any combination of general-purposemicroprocessors, microcontrollers, digital signal processors (DSPs),field programmable gate array (FPGAs), programmable logic devices(PLDs), controllers, state machines, gated logic, discrete hardwarecomponents, dedicated hardware finite state machines, or any othersuitable entities that can perform calculations or other manipulationsof information.

The processing system and the memory 654 can also includemachine-readable media for storing software. Software shall be construedbroadly to mean any type of instructions, whether referred to assoftware, firmware, middleware, microcode, hardware descriptionlanguage, or otherwise. Instructions can include code (e.g., in sourcecode format, binary code format, executable code format, or any othersuitable format of code). The instructions, when executed by the one ormore processors, cause the processing system to perform the variousfunctions described herein.

The assessment device 650 can also include a transmitter 662 and/or areceiver 664 to allow transmission and reception of data between theassessment device 650 and other portions of the assessment system 600,such as the backend server 750. The transmitter 662 and the receiver 664can be combined into a transceiver 660. The assessment device 650 canalso have one or more antennas 665 electrically coupled to thetransceiver 660. The assessment device 650 can also include (not shown)multiple transmitters, multiple receivers, multiple transceivers, and/ormultiple antennas 665 as needed for various communication standards.

The transmitter 662 can be configured to wirelessly transmit packetshaving different packet types or functions. For example, the transmitter662 can be configured to transmit packets of different types generatedby the processor 652. The receiver 664 can be configured to wirelesslyreceive packets having different packet types. In some examples, thereceiver 664 can be configured to detect a type of a packet used and toprocess the packet accordingly.

In some embodiments, the transmitter 662 and the receiver 664 can beconfigured to transmit and receive information via wired or wirelinesystems or means.

The assessment device 650 can also include a digital signal processor(DSP) 658 for use in processing signals. The DSP 658 can be configuredto generate a packet for transmission.

The assessment device 650 can further include a user interface 668. Theuser interface 668 can include, inter alia, a keypad, a display or atouch screen display. The user interface 668 can include any element orcomponent that conveys information to a user of the assessment device650 and/or receives input from the user.

The various components of the assessment device 650 can be coupledtogether by a bus system 670. The bus system 670 can include a data bus,for example, as well as a power bus, a control signal bus, and a statussignal bus in addition to the data bus. The components of the assessmentdevice 650 can be coupled together or accept or provide inputs to eachother using some other mechanism.

The assessment device 650 guides an assessor, such as an engineer or amechanic, through the assessment process and obtains assessmentinformation during the assessment process. The assessment device 650 mayalso include an assessment overviewer 682, a preparation tasker 684, asection assessor 686, a part assessor 688, and an image collector 689.The image collector 689 may be a combination of hardware and softwareand may include, inter alia, an image sensor and a camera application.The assessment overviewer 682 provides a visual overview of theassessment process completion as well as navigation between assessmentsections.

FIG. 4 is a schematic illustration of the user interface 668 of FIG. 3with an assessment overview dashboard 610. The assessment overviewdashboard 610 may include a preparation task indicator 612, a selectableindustrial machine schematic 614, and a collapsible list 616. Thepreparation task indicator 612 may indicate whether or not anypreparation tasks that need to be performed prior to commencing theassessment have been completed by the assessor. This indication may be,inter alia, a change in appearance of the indicator, such as a change incolor. The preparation task indicator 612 may be selectable to activatethe preparation tasker 684.

The preparation tasker 684 may provide a list of tasks and sub-tasksthat the assessor needs to complete prior to disassembling theindustrial machine and commencing the assessment of the industrialmachine.

The list of tasks and sub-tasks may include, inter alia, measurements tobe taken and recorded by the assessor and images to be obtained usingthe image collector 689. Once the measurements are entered or the imageis obtained for the task, the preparation tasker 684 may identify andindicate the task as complete. In some embodiments, not all tasks areessential and may be bypassed or indicated as complete by the assessorby the selection of a check box in the user interface. The preparationtasker 684 may require the assessor to enter an explanation of why thecheck box was selected.

Once the preparation tasker 684 identifies all preparation tasks andsub-tasks as complete, the assessment overviewer 682 modifies thepreparation task indicator 612 in the assessment overview dashboard 610to indicate that the preparation tasks are complete and enables theassessor to proceed with the guided assessment process, such as byenabling the selection of sections in the selectable industrial machineschematic 614 and selection from the collapsible list 616.

The selectable industrial machine schematic 614 may be interactive andmay show the progress of the assessment process. The selectableindustrial machine schematic 614 may be, inter alia, a cross-section ofthe industrial machine as illustrated in FIG. 4 or a schematic of theindustrial machine as illustrated in FIG. 1. In embodiments, theselectable industrial machine schematic 614 is a scalable vectorgraphics (SVG) image that may facilitate the assessor's interactivitywith the selectable industrial machine schematic 614. The assessmentoverviewer 682 may modify the selectable industrial machine schematic614 to indicate the state of completion of each section, such as whetherthe section has not been completed, is in progress, or has beencompleted. The appearance of each section, such as the color of thesection or of the lines illustrating the section, may be changed by theassessment overviewer 682 depending on which state of completion thesection is in. Each section may correspond with a section of theindustrial machine, such as the various sections described and indicatedwith regards to FIG. 1 including the inlet 110, the inlet guide vanes255, the compressor rotor assembly 250, and the like.

The collapsible list 616 may include a navigation list of components 617including sections, sub-sections and parts. The collapsible list 616 mayinitially show the sections of the industrial machine 100, which maythen be expanded to show the sub-sections and parts for each section.The collapsible list 616 may also include a completion indicator 618next to each component 617. The appearance of the completion indicator618 may indicate the state of completion of each component, such aswhether a task associated with the component 617 has not been completed,is in progress, or has been completed. The appearance of each completionindicator 618, such as the color of the completion indicator 618, may bechanged by the assessment overviewer 682 depending on which state ofassessment the component 617 is in.

In embodiments, the collapsible list 616 may be hidden from theassessment overview dashboard 610.

FIG. 5 is a schematic illustration of the user interface of FIG. 3 witha parts list 620. When a section is selected from the selectableindustrial machine schematic 614 or from the collapsible list 616 thesection assessor 686 may display a parts list 620 in the user interface668. The parts list 620 may include all of the parts associated with thesection selected and may include a part descriptor 621 and a partindicator 622 for each part. The part descriptor 621 may include, interalia, a character string identifying the part, such as the part name andpart number, an image identifying the part, or a combination thereof.

The appearance of the part indicator 622 may indicate the state ofassessment of each part, such as whether the assessment tasks associatedwith the part have not been completed, are in progress, or have beencompleted. The appearance of each part indicator 622, such as the colorof the part indicator 622, may be changed by the section assessor 686depending on which state of assessment the part is in. While the partdescriptor 621 and the part indicator 622 are shown separate in FIG. 5,in some embodiments, the part descriptor 621 and the part indicator 622may be combined, such as the part indicator 622 being the boarder aroundthe part descriptor 621.

FIG. 6 is a schematic illustration of the user interface of FIG. 3 witha part assessment interface 630. When a part of the industrial machineis selected, such as by selecting the part descriptor 621 from the partslist 620 or by selecting a component 617 within the collapsible list 616that identifies the part, the part assessor 688 may display a partassessment interface 630. The part assessment interface 630 providestasks for the assessor to complete, which may be separated intoengineering instructions and part grading tasks. The engineeringinstructions may include tasks that are performed at the various stagesof disassembly of the part. The engineering instructions may beseparated into subsets of tasks, such as pre-disassembly tasks, duringassembly tasks, post-disassembly tasks, and condition based lifingtasks.

In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 6, the task subsets of engineeringinstructions and the part grading tasks are separated into selectabletabs 629. The selectable tabs 629 may be situated in the desired orderof completion. The part assessor 688 may display a list of tasks andinstructions when a selectable tab 629 of engineering instructions isselected by the assessor. The list of tasks and instructions mayinclude, inter alia, measurements to be taken and recorded by theassessor, images to be obtained using the image collector 689. Once themeasurements are entered or the image is obtained for the task, the partassessor 688 may identify and indicate the task as complete. In someembodiments, not all tasks are essential and may be bypassed andindicated as complete by the assessor by the selection of a check box.The part assessor 688 may require the assessor to enter an explanationof why the check box was selected.

In FIG. 6, an embodiment of a part grading user interface 631 displayedby the part assessor 688 when the associated selectable tab 629 isselected is shown. The part grading user interface 631 may include apart image window 632, secondary image windows 633, an assessmentannotator 636, a grading characterizer 639, grading comparison images634, grading level identifiers 637, a grading characterization indicator638, a grading characterization selector 635, and a grading selectionindicator 640.

The part assessor 688 shows an image of the part once it is obtained inthe part image window 632. When an image of the part has not beenobtained, the part assessor 688 may show an option to obtain an image inthe part image window 632. The part assessor 688 may activate the imagecollector 689 when the part image window 632 without a part image shownis selected. The assessor may use the image collector 689 to create animage of the part, which the image collector 689 may provide to the partassessor 688 and may subsequently be displayed by the part assessor 688in the part image window 632. Subsequent images may also be obtained andshown in the secondary image windows 633. An image shown in thesecondary image windows 633 by the part assessor 688 may be selected bythe assessor. Upon selection, the part assessor 688 may display theselected image in the part image window 632.

The grading characterization identifier 638 may indicate how manygrading characterizations there are to be performed for the given partand which characterization is currently being performed. The assessormay switch between grading characterizations using the gradingcharacterization selector 635. If the part only requires a singlegrading the grading characterization identifier 638 and the gradingcharacterization selector 635 may not be shown by the part assessor 688.

The grading characterizer 639 may identify which type ofcharacterization is currently being graded. Grading characterizationsinclude, inter alia, deposits, wear, corrosion, fatigue, pitting,coating loss, material loss, varnishing, scoring, impact damage, rub,and coking.

The part assessor 688 may restrict access to certain subsets of theengineering instructions and to the part grading tasks until anyprerequisite tasks are completed by the assessor. For example, the tabfor any pre-disassembly tasks may be the only selectable tab 629accessible until all of the pre-disassembly tasks have been completed.Once the assessor has completed all of the pre-disassembly tasks, thepart assessor 688 may activate and allow selection of the otherselectable tabs 629, providing the assessor access to the otherengineering instructions and to the part grading tasks.

The part assessor 688 provides a number of grading comparison images 634for the assessor to compare to the image provided in the part imagewindow 632. The part assessor 688 may provide a grading level identifier637 adjacent to each grading comparison image 634 which identifies thegrading level associated for the adjacent grading comparison image 634.The grading levels for the part that may be shown in the grading levelidentifiers 637 include, inter alia, none, light, moderate, heavy, good,fair, poor, and critical. The assessor may then grade the part bycomparing the image in the part image window 632 with the gradingcomparison images 634 and by selecting the grading comparison image 634that best identifies the grade for the given part. The part assessor 688may show a grading selection indicator 640 to identify to the assessorwhich grading comparison image 634 was selected. The grading selectionindicator 640 may be, inter alia, a highlighted border around thegrading comparison image 634, a check mark, or a combination thereof.

In some embodiments, the part grading user interface 631 may alsoinclude a check box 641 where the assessor can indicate completion ofthe part grading to the part assessor 688. In other embodiments, thepart assessor 688 may determine completion of the part grading based onwhether or not an image is obtained and shown in the part image window632, annotations have been made in the assessment annotator 636 by theassessor, and a grading selection has been made for each gradingcharacterization available in the part grading user interface 631 forthe given part. The image in the part image window 632 may be edited,such as to add annotations and other marks to highlight any noteworthygrading characteristics shown in the image. Further, the assessor mayprovide assessment and grading notes to the part assessor 688 within theassessment annotator 636, which may receive character strings from theassessor.

The engineering instruction tabs may include, inter alia, part imagewindows 632, assessment annotators 636, and check boxes 641 along withthe various instructions provided for the assessor, such as which imageto obtain and which measurement to take and record into the assessmentannotator 636.

Referring to FIG. 2, the device data store 690 may be used by theassessment device 650 to store, inter alia, the assessment information,such as the information provided by the assessor in the assessmentannotators 636 and the images obtained by the image collector 689 duringthe assessment process. The device data store 690 may also be used bythe assessment device 650 to store the various details, instructions,and protocols for the assessment process including the preparationtasks, the selectable industrial machine schematic 614, the parts list620, the part assessment engineering instructions and the part gradinginformation for the assessment process of the industrial machine 100.

The backend server 750 is an embodiment of a device that can beconfigured and can be operable to implement all or portions of thevarious processes described herein. The backend server 750 may include,inter alia, one or more processors or processor units and memory, whichmay be the same or similar to the processor 652 and memory 654 for theassessment device 650 described above. While the backend server 750 isshown as a single device, the backend server 750 may include a networkof multiple devices, such as servers, computers, and the like, whereeach may include, inter alia one or more processors or processor unitsand memory.

The backend server 750 may also include an assessment report generator752, a protocol generator 754, and a schematic generator 756. TheAssessment report generator 752 may obtain all of the assessmentinformation, such as the information provided by the assessor in theassessment annotators 636 and the images obtained by the image collector689 during the assessment process from the assessment device 650, suchas from the device data store 690 and may generate an assessment reportabout the condition of the industrial machine 100, the various sectionsof the industrial machine, and the condition of each part assessed bythe assessor. The Assessment report generator 752 may also determine andprovide recommendations in the assessment report on whether to replace apart or may provide an estimate on when a part will need to be replacedbased on the assessment information provided by the assessor. TheAssessment report generator 752 may also provide the reasoning for thereplacement with the recommendation using, inter alia, the imagesobtained and the information provided by the assessor in the assessmentannotators 636. The Assessment report generator 752 may use, inter alia,empirical data and condition based lifing processes to determine andprovide the recommendation. The empirical data and condition basedlifing information for the condition based lifing processes may beprovided by the backend inputs 602 or may be stored locally by thebackend server 750.

The assessment report may be an equipment condition report, a conditionassessment report, a baseline assessment report, and the like. Theassessment report may include, inter alia, recommendations determined bythe assessment report generator 752, the images obtained by the imagecollector 689 during the assessment process, and the informationprovided by the assessor in the assessment annotators 636 in response tothe engineering instructions.

The server data store 790 may be used by the backend server 750 tostore, inter alia, the assessment information obtained from theassessment devices 650 and to store the various protocols, details, andinstructions for the assessment process for various industrial machines100, including different model numbers of similar industrial machines100. These protocols, details, and instructions may be obtained from thebackend server 750 by an assessment device 650 prior to an assessorcommencing a new assessment of an industrial machine 100. The serverdata store 790 may also store the various protocols, details, andinstructions for the Assessment report generator 752 needed for theAssessment report generator 752 to determine recommendations andgenerate the report.

While the Assessment report generator 752 is implemented on the backendserver 750 in the embodiment illustrated, in other embodiments, theAssessment report generator 752 may be implemented on the assessmentdevice 650, on the administration device 850, or on a combination of thethe devices of the assessment system 600.

The protocol generator 754 may prepare, generate, and modify the variousprotocols, protocol structures, details, and instructions for theassessment process of each industrial machine 100 including, inter alia,the various protocols, details, and instructions described herein. Theprotocol structure generated may include sections of the industrialmachine, the order of those sections, creating tasks, assigning taskswithin the protocol structure, grading configurations, grading images,and the like. The protocol generator 754 may receive inputs, such asimages, task descriptions, engineering instructions, and the like froman administrator.

The protocol generator 754 may organize the inputs provided to establishthe protocol, structures, and details of the user interface components,such as for the selectable industrial machine schematic 614 and the partgrading user interface 631. The protocol generator 754 may alsocorrelate the various selectable sections of the selectable industrialmachine schematic 614 with the various sections within the structure ofthe protocol.

The administrator may access the backend server 750 directly or over anetwork through an administration device 850. The administration device850 may be remote to the backend server 750. The protocol generator 754may generate a new protocol for an industrial machine from scratch ormay be modified from an existing protocol.

The schematic generator 756 may generate the selectable industrialmachine 614 schematic 614. The schematic generator 756 may convert aschematic image of the industrial machine into an SVG image and separatethe image into interactive sections that can be selected and modified asdescribed herein. While the schematic generator 756 is implemented onthe backend server 750 in the embodiment shown, the schematic generator756 may be a separate component or may be implemented on a separatedevice.

Although a number of separate components are illustrated in FIG. 2, oneor more of the components can be combined or commonly implemented.

Industrial Applicability

Industrial machines often operate under harsh conditions at high speeds,temperatures, and pressures. Over time the various components or partsmay become damaged by fatigue, wear, corrosion, and the like. Thevarious sections, sub-sections, and components may be assessed todetermine when these components should be replaced.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart of an assessment process for assessing anindustrial machine 100 using the assessment device 650 of FIG. 3. Inembodiments, the process includes accessing and viewing the assessmentoverview dashboard 610 at step 910. As described herein, the assessmentoverview dashboard 610 may include a selectable industrial machineschematic 614 and a collapsible list 616 that illustrate how much of theassessment process has been completed. Once the assessment process isstarted, the assessment overviewer 682 may display the assessmentoverview dashboard 610 to the assessor and receive inputs from theassessor, such as a selection of preparation task indicator 612 or of asection of the selectable industrial machine schematic 614.

The process may also include completing the preparation tasks at step920. The assessment overview dashboard 610 may include a preparationtask indicator 612 that illustrates whether the preparation tasks havebeen completed. The preparation task indicator 612 may be selectable bythe assessor, which may activate the preparation tasker 684 thatprovides the engineering instructions for the preparation tasks to theassessor. Once the preparation tasks are completed, the preparationtasker 684 may return the assessor to the assessment overview dashboard610. The preparation tasker 684 may receive inputs from the assessor,such as character strings within assessment annotators 636 that providethe information requested in the engineering instructions and imagesobtained with the image collector 689. The preparation tasks may need tobe completed prior to selecting a section to assess. The assessmentoverviewer 682 may prevent the assessor from selecting a section fromthe selectable industrial machine schematic 614 until the assessor hascompleted the preparation tasks.

The process may further include selecting a section to assess at step930. The assessment overviewer 682 may receive the selection within theselectable industrial machine schematic or the collapsible list 616. Thesection assessor 686 may display a parts list 620 for the sectionselected, which shows all of the parts in the selected section that needto be assessed. The section assessor 686 may display the part descriptor621 for each part and the part indicator 622 for each part that showswhether or not the associated part assessment has been completed.

The process yet further includes selecting a part to assess at step 940and assessing the part at step 950. The section assessor 686 may receivea selection of a part from the assessor in the parts list 620. Uponselection, the part assessor 688 displays the part assessment interface630 including one or more selectable tabs 629 including engineeringinstructions and a selectable tab 629 that includes the part gradinguser interface 631.

The part assessor 688 receives inputs from the assessor includingcharacter strings within assessment annotators 636 that provide theinformation requested in the engineering instructions and informationrelated to the part grading and images obtained with the image collector689. In some embodiments, the part assessor 688 receives inputs from theassessor to annotate an image obtained with the image collector 689. Thepart assessor 688 may also receive a grading selection from theassessor, where a grading comparison image 634 is selected by theassessor that best identifies the condition of the part that may beshown in the obtained from the image collector 689 and shown in the partimage window 632 by the part assessor 688.

The part assessment interface 630, and in particular the part gradinguser interface 631, may standardize the assessment process for each partincluding the grading levels of each part. Further, the use of digitalimages for both the grading comparison images 634 and the part imagesobtained and shown in the part image window 632 may provide for a moredetailed comparison between those images and a more accuratedetermination of the grade level of each part.

The process also includes determining whether other parts of the sectionneed to be reviewed at step 960. Upon completion of the part assessment,either identified by the assessor or determined by the part assessor688, the section assessor 686 may return the assessor to the parts list620 and display the parts list 620 from the section that the completedpart assessment was from. If the section includes other parts to assessthen steps 940 to 960 may be repeated until all of the parts in thesection are complete. If the section does not include other parts toassess then the assessment overviewer 682 may display the assessmentoverview dashboard 610 to the assessor.

In some embodiments, the section assessor 686 may determine that all ofthe parts within the section have been completed and the assessmentoverviewer 682 may display the assessment overview dashboard 610 withoutthe section assessor 686 displaying the parts list 620 and withoutreceiving an input from the assessor. In other embodiments, the assessormakes the determination from the information displayed on the parts list620 and the section assessor 686 receives an input from the assessor andthe assessment overviewer 682 displays the assessment overview dashboard610.

The process may yet further include determining whether other sectionsare not complete, such as not started or partially completed, at step970. This determination may be made by the assessor, such as byreviewing the contents of the assessment overview dashboard 610, such asthe selectable industrial machine schematic 614, or may be made by theassessment overviewer 682. If one or more sections are not complete,then steps 930 to 970 may be repeated until all of the sections arecomplete. If all of the sections are completed, the assessmentoverviewer 682 may provide for and receive an input to complete theassessment of the industrial machine.

The selectable industrial machine schematic 614 may allow an assessor toefficiently review the completion status of the assessment process andof each section of the industrial machine based on the appearances ofeach section within the selectable industrial machine schematic 614 andmay be able to quickly navigate to the incomplete sections by making aselection within one of those sections. For each step of the process,the assessor may input information, such as character strings, and maymake selections, such as selecting a section of the selectableindustrial machine schematic 614, selecting a part descriptor 621 fromthe parts list 620, or selecting a grading comparison image 634.

The process may still further include generating the assessment reportat step 980. The assessor may instruct the assessment overviewer 682 togenerate the assessment report, such as by selecting an option displayedby the assessment overviewer 682 in the user interface 668. Theassessment overviewer 682 may provide for and receive an input from theassessor to generate the assessment report, whereupon the Assessmentreport generator 752 creates the assessment report using the informationobtained by the assessment device 650 during the assessment process,such as the information requested in the engineering instructions, thepart grading information, and the images obtained with the imagecollector 689. In some embodiments, the Assessment report generator 752is implemented by the backend server 750, as described above, and theinformation obtained by the assessment device 650 is transferred to thebackend server 750 for the Assessment report generator 752 to use whilegenerating the assessment report. In other embodiments, the Assessmentreport generator 752 is implemented on the assessment device 650. Inthese embodiments, the assessment report may be transferred to thebackend server 750 after the assessment report is generated. Generatingthe assessment report with the Assessment report generator 752 mayreduce variations within assessment reports and may standardize thelayout and overall appearance of the assessment reports generated andprovided to the industrial machine operators. Further, generatingassessment reports with the Assessment report generator 752 may save theassessor hours since the assessment report is generated without anyfurther input by the assessor.

In some embodiments, the assessment process includes generating theassessment protocol. FIG. 8 is a flowchart of a method for generating anassessment protocol. The method may include obtaining a selectableindustrial machine schematic 614 at step 1010. The protocol generator754 may obtain the selectable industrial machine schematic 614 from theschematic generator 756 or from a device separate from the assessmentsystem 600.

In embodiments, the schematic generator 756 may generate the selectableindustrial machine schematic 614. Step 1010 may include converting aschematic image of the industrial machine into an SVG image and creatingselectable sections within the image, and in particular within theactual schematic, such as a cross-section, of the industrial machine.

The method may also include generating a protocol structure at step1020. Generating the protocol structure may include creating ahierarchical structure that matches the structure of the varioussections and parts of the industrial machine 100. For example, thehierarchical structure may include sections and sub-sections of the gasturbine engine described in conjunction with FIG. 1, such as thecompressor 200, and may further include parts within those sections,such as the inlet guide vanes 255 and the compressor stationary vanes250. In some embodiments, the hierarchical structure may include asection for the preparation tasks. The hierarchical structure may becreated from scratch or may be copied and obtained from an existingassessment protocol and then modified for the assessment process beinggenerated.

The method may further include creating engineering instructions for thevarious sections and parts within the hierarchical structure at step1030. The engineering instructions may include tasks for an assessor tocomplete, which may include requests for measurements to be providedwithin assessment annotators 636 and to obtain images using the imagecollector 689. In some embodiments, a selection of the engineeringinstructions may be copied from an existing assessment protocol, whichmay then be modified for the assessment process being generated. In someembodiments, step 1030 includes creating engineering instructions forpreparation tasks that must be completed prior to disassembly of theindustrial machine 100 and prior to commencing the remainder of theassessment of the industrial machine 100.

The method may still further include creating part grading instructionsfor the parts within the hierarchical structure at step 1040. Creatingthe part grading instructions for the parts may include establishingpart grading parameters, which grading characterizations are needed foreach part and which grading levels should be used for each part.Creating the part grading instructions for the parts may further includeselecting an image for each grading level and providing a grading levelidentifier 637 for each of the grading levels.

In embodiments, creating the part grading instructions for each of theparts includes generating a protocol for the part assessor 688 toprovide a part grading user interface 631 with the part assessmentinterface 630, the part grading user interface 631 including a partimage window 632 that displays an image of the selected part, gradingcomparison images that illustrate the grading levels for the selectedpart, and grading level identifiers 637 that identify the grading levelof each of the grading comparison images, wherein the part gradeselection is determined by comparing the image of the selected part withthe grading comparison images.

The method may yet further include assigning each engineeringinstruction and part grading instruction to a section or part within thehierarchical structure at step 1050. In some embodiments, theengineering instructions or part grading instructions may be the samefor multiple parts. In these embodiments, an engineering instruction orpart grading instruction may be assigned to multiple parts within thehierarchical structure. In embodiments, where the hierarchical structureis copied from an existing assessment protocol, engineering instructionsand part grading instructions may also be copied and obtained by theprotocol generator 754 from an existing assessment protocol. Step 1050may include reassigning some of the engineering instructions and partgrading instructions within the modified hierarchical structure.

Steps 1020 to 1050 may be performed by the protocol generator 754 basedon inputs from an administrator.

The method illustrated in FIG. 8 is subject to many variations,including adding, omitting, reordering, or altering blocks.Additionally, blocks may be performed concurrently. For example, theengineering instructions and the part grading instructions can becreated and assigned within the hierarchical structure as the protocolstructure is being generated.

In some embodiments, the assessment device 650 obtains, such as bydownloading, an assessment protocol for the assessment process from thebackend server 750 at the start of the process and prior to viewing theassessment overview dashboard 610 at step 910.

In embodiments, the method includes the protocol generator 754generating a protocol for the section assessor 686 to display all of theparts of a selected section in the parts list 620 that includes a partdescriptor 621 and a part indicator 622 for each of the parts where thesection assessor 686 indicates assessment of a previously selected partas complete with the part indicator 622 after the part assessor 688receives all of the measurements requested by the engineeringinstructions and the part grade selection from the assessor.

Creating an assessment protocol for each model and model variation of anindustrial machine may standardize the assessment process for each modeland model variation and across multiple models. Further, any updates tothe assessment process become integrated within the assessment processimmediately as any new or updated engineering instructions may be pickedup by the assessment device 650 prior to commencing a new assessment

Those of skill will appreciate that the various illustrative logicalblocks and algorithm steps described in connection with the embodimentsdisclosed herein can be implemented as electronic hardware, computersoftware, or combinations of both. To clearly illustrate thisinterchangeability of hardware and software, various illustrativecomponents, blocks, and steps have been described above generally interms of their functionality. Whether such functionality is implementedas hardware or software depends upon the design constraints imposed onthe overall system. Skilled persons can implement the describedfunctionality in varying ways for each particular application, but suchimplementation decisions should not be interpreted as causing adeparture from the scope of the invention. In addition, the grouping offunctions within a block or step is for ease of description. Specificfunctions or steps can be moved from one block without departing fromthe invention.

The various illustrative logical blocks described in connection with theembodiments disclosed herein can be implemented or performed with ageneral purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), applicationspecific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array(FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistorlogic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designedto perform the functions described herein. A general-purpose processorcan be a microprocessor, but in the alternative, the processor can beany processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. Aprocessor can also be implemented as a combination of computing devices,for example, a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality ofmicroprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSPcore, or any other such configuration.

The steps of a method or algorithm described in connection with theembodiments disclosed herein can be embodied directly in hardware, in asoftware module executed by a processor (e.g., of a computer), or in acombination of the two. A software module can reside in RAM memory,flash memory, ROM memory, EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, harddisk, a removable disk, a CD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium.An exemplary storage medium can be coupled to the processor such thatthe processor can read information from, and write information to, thestorage medium. In the alternative, the storage medium can be integralto the processor. The processor and the storage medium can reside in anASIC.

The above description of the disclosed embodiments is provided to enableany person skilled in the art to make or use the invention. Variousmodifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to thoseskilled in the art, and the generic principles described herein can beapplied to other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scopeof the invention. Thus, it is to be understood that the description anddrawings presented herein represent a presently preferred embodiment ofthe invention and are therefore representative of the subject matterwhich is broadly contemplated by the present invention. It is furtherunderstood that the scope of the present invention fully encompassesother embodiments that may become obvious to those skilled in the art.

What is claimed is:
 1. A process for assessing an industrial machineusing an assessment system including a backend server and an assessmentdevice, the process comprising: a protocol generator of the backendserver obtaining a selectable industrial machine schematic that includesselectable sections; the protocol generator generating a protocolstructure for the assessment process, the protocol structure including ahierarchical structure of sections and parts of the industrial machineand correlating each of the selectable sections with the sections of thehierarchical structure; the protocol generator creating engineeringinstructions for each of the parts of the hierarchical structureincluding identifying measurements of the industrial machine parts to betaken by an assessor; the protocol generator creating part gradinginstructions for each of the parts including establishing part gradingparameters, selecting an image for each grading level and providing agrading level identifier for each of the grading levels, identifyingwhich grading characterizations are needed for each of the parts andwhich grading levels should be used for each of the parts; the protocolgenerator assigning each of the engineering instructions and each of thepart grading instructions to one of the parts within the hierarchicalstructure; an assessment overviewer of the assessment device displayingan assessment overview dashboard in a user interface of the assessmentdevice, the assessment overview dashboard including the selectableindustrial machine schematic, wherein a state of completion of eachselectable section is indicated by an appearance of each of theselectable sections; a part assessor of the assessment device displayinga part assessment interface for a selected part to the assessor in theuser interface, the part assessment interface including the engineeringinstructions and a part grading user interface, the part grading userinterface provides the part grading parameters, the gradingcharacterizations and the grading levels for the selected part alongwith the images selected for each of the grading levels, wherein thepart assessor receives inputs from the assessor including measurementsof the selected part requested by the engineering instructions and thepart assessor receives a part grade selection from the assessor and anassessment report generator of the assessment system generating anassessment report after the assessment of each section of the industrialmachine is completed, the assessment report generator uses themeasurements and the part grade selection received from the assessor,the assessment report generator determining recommendations on whetherto replace the parts assessed in the assessment report.
 2. The processof claim 1, wherein the protocol generator generates a protocolstructure for the assessment process, creates the engineeringinstructions for each of the parts, creates the part gradinginstructions for each of the parts, and assigns each of the engineeringinstructions and each of the part grading instructions to one of theparts within the hierarchical structure based on inputs from anadministrator.
 3. The process of claim 1, wherein obtaining theselectable industrial machine schematic includes a schematic generatorof the assessment system generating the selectable industrial machineschematic including converting a schematic image of the industrialmachine into a scalable vector graphics image and creating theselectable sections within the scalable vector graphics image.
 4. Theprocess of claim 1, wherein the protocol generator creating part gradinginstructions for each of the parts includes generating a protocol forthe part assessor to provide a part grading user interface with the partassessment interface, the part grading user interface including a partimage window that displays an image of the selected part, gradingcomparison images that illustrate the grading levels for the selectedpart, and grading level identifiers that identify the grading level ofeach of the grading comparison images, wherein the part grade selectionis determined by comparing the image of the selected part with thegrading comparison images.
 5. The process of claim 1, wherein theengineering instructions and the part grading instructions are the samefor multiple parts, and wherein a selection of engineering instructionand part grading instructions are assigned to multiple parts within thehierarchical structure.
 6. The process of claim 1, further comprisingthe protocol generator generating a protocol for a section assessor todisplay all of the parts of a selected section in a parts list thatincludes a part descriptor and a part indicator for each of the parts,where the section assessor indicates assessment of a previously selectedpart as complete with the part indicator after the part assessorreceives all of the measurements requested in the engineeringinstructions and the part grade selection from the assessor.
 7. Aprocess for assessing an industrial machine, the process comprising: aprotocol generator of a backend server of an assessment system obtaininga selectable industrial machine schematic that includes selectablesections; the protocol generator obtaining a protocol structure for theassessment process from an existing assessment process protocol, theprotocol structure including a hierarchical structure of the sectionsand the parts of the industrial machine and correlating each of theselectable sections with the sections of the hierarchical structure, andwherein the protocol generator modifies the hierarchical structure tomatch the structure of the industrial machine; the protocol generatorobtaining engineering instructions from the existing assessment processprotocol including identifying measurements of the parts to be taken byan assessor and modifying the engineering instructions for theindustrial machine; the protocol generator obtaining part gradinginstructions including part grading parameters, selecting an image foreach of the grading levels, which grading characterizations are neededfor each part and which grading levels should be used for each part fromthe existing assessment process protocol and modifying the part gradinginstructions for the industrial machine; the protocol generatorreassigning some of the engineering instruction and the part gradinginstruction to parts within the hierarchical structure; an assessmentoverviewer of an assessment device of the assessment system displayingan assessment overview dashboard in a user interface of the assessmentdevice, the assessment overview dashboard including the selectableindustrial machine schematic, wherein a state of completion of eachselectable section is indicated by an appearance of each of theselectable sections; a part assessor of the assessment device displayinga part assessment interface for the selected part to the assessor in theuser interface, the part assessment interface including the engineeringinstructions and a part grading user interface, the part grading userinterface provides the part grading parameters, the gradingcharacterizations and the grading levels for a selected part along withthe images selected for each of the grading levels, wherein the partassessor receives inputs from the assessor including measurements of theselected part requested by the engineering instructions the partassessor receives a part grade selection from the assessor and anassessment report generator of the assessment system generating anassessment report after the assessment of each section of the industrialmachine is completed, the assessment report generator uses themeasurements and the part grade selection received from the assessor,the assessment report generator determining recommendations on whetherto replace the parts assessed in the assessment report.
 8. The processof claim 7, wherein modifying the part grading instructions for theparts may further include providing a grading level identifier for eachof the grading levels.
 9. The process of claim 7, wherein the protocolgenerator modifies the protocol structure, modifies engineeringinstructions, modifies part grading instructions, and reassignsengineering instructions and part grading instructions based on inputsfrom an administrator.
 10. The process of claim 9, wherein theadministrator accesses the protocol generator from a remoteadministration device.
 11. The process of claim 7, wherein obtaining theselectable industrial machine schematic includes a schematic generatorof the assessment system generating the selectable industrial machineschematic including converting a schematic image of the industrialmachine into a scalable vector graphics image and creating theselectable sections within the image.
 12. The process of claim 7,wherein the engineering instructions and the part grading instructionsare the same for multiple parts, and wherein a selection of engineeringinstructions and part grading instructions are assigned to multipleparts within the hierarchical structure.
 13. The process of claim 7,further comprising the protocol generator obtaining, from the existingassessment process protocol, a protocol for a section assessor todisplay all of the parts of a selected section in a parts list thatincludes a part descriptor and a part indicator for each of the parts,where the section assessor indicates assessment of a previously selectedpart as complete with the part indicator after the part assessorreceives all of the measurements requested by the engineeringinstructions and the part grade selection from the assessor.
 14. Anassessment system for assessing an industrial machine, the assessmentsystem comprising: a backend server including a protocol generator thatobtains a selectable industrial machine schematic that includesselectable sections, that generates a protocol structure for theassessment process, the protocol structure including a hierarchicalstructure of the sections and the parts of the industrial machine andcorrelating each of the selectable sections with the sections of thehierarchical structure, that creates engineering instructions for eachof the parts including identifying measurements of the parts to be takenby an assessor, that creates part grading instructions for each of theparts including establishing part grading parameters, which gradingcharacterizations are needed for each part and which grading levelsshould be used for each part, that creates a protocol to provide a partgrading user interface, the part grading user interface including a partimage window that displays an image of the selected part, gradingcomparison images that illustrate the grading levels for the selectedpart, and grading level identifiers that identify the grading level ofeach of the grading comparison images, wherein a part grade selection isdetermined by the assessor comparing the image of the selected part withthe grading comparison images, and that assigns each of the engineeringinstructions and each of the part grading instructions to one of theparts within the hierarchical structure; an assessment device includinga user interface, an assessment overviewer that displays an assessmentoverview dashboard in a user interface of the assessment device, theassessment overview dashboard including the selectable industrialmachine schematic, wherein a state of completion of each selectablesection is indicated by an appearance of each of the selectablesections, and a part assessor that displays a part assessment interfacefor a selected part to the assessor in the user interface, the partassessment interface including the engineering instructions and the partgrading user interface, the part grading user interface provides thepart grading parameters, the grading characterizations and the gradinglevels for the selected part, wherein the part assessor receives inputsfrom the assessor including the part grade selection and measurements ofthe selected part requested by the engineering instructions; and anassessment report generator that generates an assessment report afterthe assessment of each of the sections of the industrial machine iscompleted, the assessment report generator using the measurements andthe part grade selection received from the assessor to generate theassessment report, the assessment report generator determiningrecommendations on whether to replace the parts assessed in theassessment report.
 15. The assessment system of claim 14, wherein thebackend server further includes a schematic generator that generates theselectable industrial machine schematic including converting a schematicimage of the industrial machine into a scalable vector graphics imageand creating the selectable sections within the scalable vector graphicsimage, and wherein the protocol generator obtains the selectableindustrial machine schematic from the schematic generator.
 16. Theassessment system of claim 14, wherein the engineering instructions andthe part grading instructions are the same for multiple parts, andwherein the protocol generator assigns a selection of engineeringinstruction and part grading instructions to multiple parts within thehierarchical structure.
 17. The assessment system of claim 14, whereinthe protocol generator generates a protocol for a section assessor todisplay all of the parts of a selected section in a parts list thatincludes a part descriptor and a part indicator for each of the parts,where the section assessor indicates assessment of a previously selectedpart as complete with the part indicator after the part assessorreceives all of the measurements requested by the engineeringinstructions and the part grade selection from the assessor.
 18. Theassessment system of claim 14, wherein the protocol generator furthercreates engineering instructions for preparation tasks that must becompleted prior to disassembly of the industrial machine.